The present invention relates, in general, to fluid couplings for joining fluid carrying components.
Fluid connections or couplings are known for interconnecting metal or plastic tubes to each other. One of the tubes can also be a fluid operative component, such as a valve, manifold, pump, etc.
Such fluid connectors typically employ a retainer in the form of a ring with radially inward extending, flexible, spring-like fingers which bite into the smooth, constant diameter, tip end of the tube. The fingers allow removal of the tube by means of a release tool which is inserted into engagement with the inner surface of the fingers to deflect the fingers away from the tube.
The use of softer, plastic tubes, such as PEX (cross-linked polyethylene), introduces other factors which must be considered in constructing fluid couplings. The retainer fingers can scratch the surface of the tube during insertion of the tube into the housing carrying the retainer or upon removal of the tube from the housing. These scratches can form leak paths through the seal elements or O-rings mounted on the tube or can damage the seal elements, again leading to fluid leak paths and a defective fluid coupling.
In fluid couplings of the above-described type, after the seal elements and the retainer are mounted in the bore of a fluid use element or housing, an end flange on the coupling is non-removably joined to the fluid use component or housing by sonic or heat welding which forces the use of like materials with like melt temperatures, i.e., plastics, that would bond together.
It would be desirable to provide a fluid coupling which forms a fluid tight connection between an endform or tube and a fluid use element or housing while preventing scratches on the tube surface from damaging the seal elements of the fluid coupling. It would also be desirable to provide such a fluid coupling in which all of the connector components can be removed from the fluid use component or housing. It would also be desirable to provide a fluid coupling that does not require the use of like materials with like melting points for sonic or heat weldability such that an unlimited number of dissimilar materials with different melt temperatures can be employed.